The Canadian population of Eastern Whip-poor-will is best monitored by the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). Although the BBS is not well suited to detecting a largely nocturnal species, it samples much of the Canadian breeding range and has high precision in its trends. The Canadian Nightjar Survey provides more targeted monitoring of the population, but has not yet been operational long enough to generate meaningful trend insights. The national BBS trend shows a steady decline from the early 1980s to around 2005, but then stabilization and in recent years a modest rebound to a level just over 25% below early 1970s levels. The decline was somewhat earlier and steeper in southern Ontario and Quebec than in the northern part of the Canadian range. The Ontario and Quebec Breeding Bird Atlases both also suggest declines.

The goal for Eastern Whip-poor-will is to increase the population to the level it was at in the early 1970s, based on the Breeding Bird Survey. Trend data show that Eastern Whip-poor-will is currently below its goal range, but it has shown an increase over the past decade. Analysis of recent trends and potential growth rates suggests that Eastern Whip-poor-will could reach its population goal by 2050 with the support of conservation action. This is more ambitious than the objectives in the Recovery Strategy for Eastern Whip-poor-will under the Species at Risk Act, which calls for limiting the decline between 2018 and 2028 to no more than 10%, and then ensuring a positive trend after 2028, with recolonization of previously occupied areas in the southern portion of its Canadian breeding range (Environment Canada, 2015).